(Possible idea for NanOwrimo, fantasy romance) Daughter of an aristocratic family has a lusty approval for one of their groundskeepers who is gorgeous, but everyone thinks he's rather dim. She's not so sure that he is. But they keep her busy with minor magic lessons in illusion so she might entertain and make 'pretty things'. Turns out the fellow is actually an assassin whose employer died leaving him kind of stuck in the 'role' he used to get close enough to kill the lady's father. He could go back, but he found he rather enjoyed the work with flowers and took a break. She knows he's smarter than he lets on. He sees in her a great strength beyond just crafting 'pretty illusions' and they flirt a bit. Until, of course, the great betrayal from without and the noble family is attacked by an outside force. The Gardener/Assassin must use his skills to get the Lady the hell out of of there, and she finds her having to use her Illusion in new and deadly ways.
Problem is I don't know whether to go with the standard 'revenge yourselves and reclaim your throne thing' or to end it with her discovering she's got a dark gift for assassination so while her old life is over, she rather enjoys working side by side as a shadow weaver working with a shadow lover to kill those who really deserve it 😉